The present invention relates to a magnetic head especially adapted for recording and/or reading signals on a magnetic recording medium in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the magnetic recording medium is transported.
One of the conventional magnetic heads of the type described is such that a plurality of magnetic head units or elements are arranged in a linear array in equidistantly spaced apart relationship in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape is transported relative to the magnetic head. In the recording mode with such a magnetic head, time-serial incoming signals are converted into parallel signals by a serial-to-parallel converter so that the parallel signals may be applied to respective magnetic head units or elements. In the reproduction mode, the parallel signals simultaneously derived from the magnetic head units or elements are converted by a parallel-to-serial converter into the serial signals. In order to increase the number of magnetic head units or elements per unit length in the lengthwise direction of the magnetic head; that is, the density of magnetic head units or elements, the magnetic head elements must be reduced in size as much as possible. However each of the magnetic head units or elements is mounted with a signal winding so that if they are reduced in size and accordingly increased in number, the number of lead wires extending from the signal windings increases accordingly. As a result, the overall yield of magnetic heads decreases with increase in the number of units or elements in each magnetic head.